


Trying Not To Drown

by SebaCielisLife (fanfic814)



Category: Free!
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-22 17:08:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7447201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanfic814/pseuds/SebaCielisLife





	Trying Not To Drown

Makoto wasn't sure _how_ it happened, but he distinctly remembered _when_.    
  
They had been walking home from school a few weeks ago when Haru insisted they take the long way home.  Makoto groaned.  'The long way' always meant a stroll along the beach.  Haru had been chomping at the bit for months to take a dip in the ocean, and when it was too cold to swim, he would just longingly stare at the water until it drove Makoto crazy.  It was maddening and endearing at the same time.

The weather had finally begun to change; the snow had melted, and the temperature was cool but comfortable as they walked home in an amicable silence.  Anyone else might have felt awkward with the lack of conversation, but Makoto was used to the quiet.  Haru had always been a man of few words, and they had known each other long enough that words weren't always necessary. He could often tell what Haru was thinking with just a glance.

"Do you think it's warm enough yet?" Haru asked quietly.

"No," Makoto laughed.  "You'll catch pneumonia if you jump in there now.  It'll probably be another month before it's warm enough to swim."

Haru sighed and wistfully gazed out at the water.  "Couldn't hurt to try," he mumbled.

"Hmm?"  Makoto hummed distractedly as a tiny mew caught his attention.   He wandered off in search of the noise, leaving Haru talking to himself.  "What are you doing so close to the water?" he murmured, scooping up the tiny ball of orange fur that had been hiding in a clump of sea grass. He smiled and nuzzled in close to the kitten until they bumped noses.  "Aren't you cute?  Who do you think she belongs to, Haru?  ...Haru?"

Makoto sighed as he turned toward the water.  Sure enough, Haru had stripped down to his ever-present swim jammers and was doing the backstroke amid the waves.  He gripped the kitten a little tighter with his left hand as he bent to pull Haru's soaking school uniform out of the tide where it was beginning to wash away.

"Oh, Haru."  Makoto shook his head, but he couldn't help the hint of a smile playing at the corners of his lips.  Some things never changed.  He should have known better than to turn his back on him.  After all, Haru had been doing this for as long as he could remember.  He chuckled softly to himself as he thought about the time they were eight years old and he had to drag Haru kicking and screaming from a park fountain while a dozen or so concerned families looked on.

"Haru!  Get back here before you freeze to death!" he called.  The slight breeze was blowing a cool mist in his direction, and he couldn't even imagine how cold the water must be.  

After a few minutes,  Haru reluctantly swam back to shore, his face calm and serene as if nothing unusual had just happened.  He didn't seem to mind that his teeth were chattering and his lips were slightly blue.

"Your clothes are soaked," Makoto said, handing him the dripping bundle of clothing. "The tide got them."

"Oh." Haru shrugged and began stepping into his wet pants, despite Makoto's protest.

"You can't wear soaking clothes home," he sighed.  "Wait." He gently set the kitten down and took off his hooded sweatshirt, tossing it at Haru.  "Put that on.   It'll keep part of you warm at least."

Haru didn't respond, he just slipped into the sweatshirt and began walking again.  Makoto grinned and rolled his eyes,  then picked up the kitten and trotted after him. 

"So when do your parents come home?" he asked, making small talk as he fussed over his new furry friend.

"Next Monday.  Yours?"

"Next Friday. Thanks for letting me stay at your house. I mean, I could stay home alone but it's so boring. "

"Yeah," Haru agreed. "Where were they going, anyway?" 

"To visit my grandmother. She hasn't seen the twins in almost a year," he said, referring to his younger siblings. "I would have gone too if we didn't have a competition."

Haru nodded.  As they neared his house, he fumbled through his wet pants pockets for his key.  "Thanks for letting me borrow your shirt," he said solemnly, turning to glance at Makoto.  "I guess that was stupid of me. " His dark blue eyes were bright as he turned toward the sun, and his wet hair was still dripping occasionally, causing little rivulets of water to stream down his cheeks. He shrugged and quirked an eyebrow as if to apologize, Makoto's too-big sweatshirt rising up on his hips.    
  
And that's when it happened.   
  
As Makoto stood there staring at his best friend something stirred within him - a pang of something unrecognizable.  He had always loved Haru, that wasn't news.  He loved him like a brother.  But as he looked at those intense, unflinching eyes, he suddenly... well, he wanted to _kiss_ him.  
  
"Makoto?" Haru asked.  "What's wrong?"  
  
Makoto blinked hard as he tried to make sense of what had just happened, and he felt a warm flush creeping over his body.    
  
"Nothing," he managed, touching a hand to his face in an attempt to hide his reddened cheeks. "I'm fine."  
  
Haru frowned as his eyes studied Makoto intently.  "Hmm."  He turned and opened the door.  "Well, are you coming in?"  
  
"I'm, um," Makoto nervously rubbed at the back of his neck.  "I'm going to go find her owner," he motioned to the kitten.  "I'll be back."  
  
  
That night, Makoto lay in bed next to Haru just as he had done hundreds of times before.  When they were twelve, Mokoto decided that he should start sleeping on the floor, but Haru insisted that the floor was too uncomfortable.  Since it wasn't a big deal to either of them, they decide to share the bed, and they had been doing so ever since.   
  
It was still chilly in the evenings, and Makoto had shrugged back into his sweatshirt.  As he lay there listening to Haru snore, he tossed and turned, wondering why his brain wouldn't shut down.  He couldn't stop thinking about earlier, and picturing it in his mind.  He wondered what Haru would have done if he had just leaned in and...   
  
What was he thinking?  This was _Haru_! What in the world was wrong with him?    
  
He sighed and rolled over, taking in an eyeful of Haru's shirtless back and shoulders as he watched the steady rise and fall of his breathing.  He'd seen Haru shirtless thousands of times.  They swam together, after all.  Still, for some reason, tonight it was making him think all sorts of inappropriate things.  It didn't help that his sweatshirt smelled like Haru - the slightly musky sent of sweat mixed with the ocean and the cologne he sometimes wore.   He really had to snap out of this.  He turned over again and stared at the wall, trying to ignore the fact that he was suddenly sporting a very confused erection.   
  
This was going to be a long week.   
  



End file.
